The Frame: Part of the Suspension System

Hopefully you have noticed that this week all suspension parts are 25% off at our Savannah salvage yard. Having said that, it occurs to us that some of you may not know what comprises a “suspension part.” Fine and dandy so we will tell you.

The suspension of a vehicle usually includes the chassis, frame, shock absorbers, springs, and some may also include the steering column although that’s a bit of a stretch. We have done articles about shock absorbers in the past so today we thought we would say a word or two about the frame.

In America today there are two types of frame construction being used: the body-on-frame and the unibody construction. Body-on-frame was the standard in automobile construction for decades; it was easier to design and change, easier to repair after accidents and made it possible for manufacturers to sub-c ontract parts of the construction of the automobile. Unfortunately it also had its downside.

Body-on-frame also was heavier than the new unibody construction and thus higher on fuel construction and it was a poor usage of materials in the construction. As times went by and new methods of producing cars came about, most manufacturers switched to unibody construction; this is true in practically every passenger car made today; trucks, however, remain of the body-on-frame construction type.

So what does it all mean to the consumer? Unibody is by far the most comfortable of rides between the two but in an accident chances are excellent that you will have to replace the entire chassis whereas in a body-on-frame you may not. Trucks obviously use the body-on-frame because of heavier loads; if you have ever ridden in a pickup truck that is carrying a load over uneven roadway you will immediately sense the difference in a body-on-frame constructed vehicle.

Is this helpful information for you? We hope so and we also hope that you will stop by Cash-n-Carry and save some serious money during our weekly sales. As we said, this week is 25% off all suspension parts; next week you might want to take advantage of the 25% off all radiators and fans sale, and in case that isn’t enough on MLK Day you can receive 50% off any one used auto part on our lot. Savings like this on replacement auto parts just don’t happen every day so come on down to our junk yard and start saving money.